Spain’s victory over Greece on Thursday means Wales are assured of a place in the World Cup qualifying playoffs due to their Nations League performance but the Dragons are unlikely to ease up against Belarus in Cardiff on Saturday. They will still be keen to finish second in Group E and know that 4 points across the next two games (Belarus & Belgium both home) will secure second. Wales must finish second in Group E to have any chance of being seeded for March’s qualifying deciders, handing them home advantage in the process. The hosts will also be boosted by the return to the squad of Gareth Bale who has overcome the hamstring tear which kept him out of the October internationals.
As for Belarus, well they are rock-bottom of the group and face their own little battle with Estonia in trying avoid finishing bottom in Group E. A sequence of seven defeats in succession, which began with a record 8-0 setback to group leaders Belgium, leaves Belarus dreading their international outings right now. They head to what is likely to be a vary lively Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday evening and below are my Bet Builder tips and predictions for this one.
Wales v Belarus Bet Builder Tips
Wales to Win
Let’s kick things off with the match result then and I full fancy the Welsh to win on Saturday as they host a very poor Belarus outfit. They enter the game on a run of five games without defeat and the return of Bale to the squad is only going to lift the entire nation. Morale seems good around the squad and the nation as a whole with a playoff place confirmed as they look to make it to to their first World Cup since 1958.
Kieffer Moore is suspended but other than that there are no real notable absentees for the Welsh with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale and Harry Wilson set to feature. Playing at home and with all their key players available I would expect the Welsh to seal a relatively comfortable victory in this one.
Gareth Bale to Score Anytime
How fitting that Gareth Bale will make his 100th cap in front of his home crowd on Saturday evening. He has returned to fitness and trained in full in preparation for the game and most sources suggest he will start despite his lack of football this season with club side Real Madrid. Bale will become the second Welshman to win 100 caps by lining up against Belarus. Bale was due to reach the three-figure milestone last month but a hamstring tear put paid to him playing in World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Estonia.
Little doubt that Bale is the greatest Welsh player of all time and the 32 year old continues to flourish for his national team despite his club career stalling a little in recent years. He has notched 34 goals in his 99 caps to date and on the big occasion of his 100th cap I feel the forward will be very keen to get himself on the scoresheet. He bagged a hat-trick in the reverse fixture against Belarus back in May and I fancy him to score at least once in Cardiff on Saturday night. There is a slight doubt over his starting position given his lack of football this season so I do recommend as always, waiting for lineup announcement before placing this Bet Builder.
Nikolay Zolotov to be Carded
We finish on a booking and Belarus defender Zolotov is the standout for me in this one. He will likely start on the left hand side for the visitors whether it be at left back or left wing back depending on what formation they opt for. He has picked up 3 bookings this season so far, 2 at club level and one at international level. He will be up against a combination of Dan James, Harry Wilson and at times Gareth Bale when he decides to drift wide and for me looks a prime candidate. He commits a lot of fouls too, an average of 1.5 per game in the 4 Belarus games he has played this calendar year. Priced at 3.1, bookmakers see him as one of the favourites for a card and I have to say I agree with them!
Back my 5/1 Wales v Belarus Bet Builder below ⬇️
🧾
Load the bet slip @ 6.28 at Paddy Power
Haven’t got a Paddy Power account? You’re in luck…
Sign up to Paddy Power and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £30 on my 5/1 Wales v Belarus Bet Builder. Here are the two possible outcomes:
✅
You win £188 cash if it wins
🔄
Or you get your £30 stake back as cash
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets, my predicted line-ups can be found below *
Wales v Belarus Predicted Line-ups
Wales Predicted 11 v Belarus: Ward; Mepham, Ampadu, Rodon; Roberts, Ramsey, Morrell, Allen, Davies; James, Bale (3-5-2)
Belarus Predicted 11 v Wales: Pavlyuchenko; Shetsov, Naumov, Yudenkov; Begunov, Antilevski, Klimovich, Yablonski, Zolotov; Lisakovich, Solovey (3-5-2)
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *
How to watch Wales v Belarus in World Cup Qualifying
📅 When is Wales v Belarus? / Saturday, 13 November 2021, 19:45 BST
🏟 Where is Wales v Belarus? / Cardiff City Stadium (Cardiff)
📺 What TV Channel is Wales v Belarus on? / Sky Sports Main Event
📱 Online Live Streaming for Wales v Belarus / bet365
🟨 …And who is the referee for Wales v Belarus? / Maurizio Mariani 🇮🇹
